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ELKHORN - South Milwaukee resident Daniel Walden, 38, disappeared more than ten years ago. His sister Cheri Walden reported him missing in December of 1998 after he failed to show up to a holiday family reunion. 

His case was investigated as a missing person case, until recently when DNA evidence linked him to a body found in rural Walworth County. 

His family said they always believed he was murdered. "All along you thought it was suspicious?" reporter Heather Shannon asked. "Absolutely," Cheri Walden replied. "Absolutely."

One of Daniel's former co-workers, who doesn't want his name used, also thought he was murdered. "Dan wasn't the kind of person who would just run off and not have contact with anybody," he said.

Daniel's disappearance was considered a missing person case until now.

Naked human remains were found near Alpine Valley in rural Walworth County in 2002.

Investigators put together several clay molds of what they thought the victim might have looked like, in an attempt to identify the body. But nothing helped solve the case.

"Did you ever think before that this was Mr. Walden?" Shannon asked. "No," Captain Jay Maritz of the Walworth County Sheriff's Department replied.

Walden's family submitted a DNA sample in 2006. It wasn't linked to Walden until recently, proving he was murdered.

"If the family did give a DNA sample back in 2006, why did it take so long to identify him?" Shannon asked. "The sample was sent over to the federal FBI crime lab," Maritz replied. "At that point it's turned over to them and we don't have any control over how quickly they process cases."

After Daniel disappeared, Cheri and Daniel's former co-worker both gave police the name of the person they believed killed Daniel. They said nothing happened.

Now that the family knows Daniel was murdered they want an arrest. 

The Walworth County Sheriff's Department continues to search for the suspect. If you have any information, call detectives at 262-741-4423 or call Walworth County Crimestoppers at 262-723-2677.